Three sharp jabs and one blunt question: Albanese fights to win you back

Anthony Albanese heads to the election with a new sense of confidence that he can win voters back, despite months of polling that suggests millions of Australians are no longer listening to him.

The prime minister aimed three sharp jabs at Peter Dutton on Friday in a new attempt to raise the stakes at this election when so much commentary assumes a hung parliament and even a majority Coalition government.

There was a blunt question, also, behind everything Albanese said to contrast his agenda with the Coalition alternative: is Dutton worth the risk? The Labor strategy is all about feeding doubts about whether the opposition leader has any useful plan to help with the cost of living.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during an address to the National Press Club.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Albanese is on the attack after being cornered. The latest Resolve Political Monitor confirmed the slide in support for Labor since the defeat of the Indigenous Voice in October 2023 – a moment that crystallised frustration about the government’s priorities.

Dutton now has a five-point edge over Albanese as preferred prime minister, and the Coalition has a national lead in two-party terms, 51 to 49 per cent.

Albanese, who once said he loves fighting Tories, used his appearance at the National Press Club on Friday to hit back.

First, he defended his character in response to Dutton’s claims that he is a weak leader. He portrayed Dutton as too scared to take questions, trying to turn the opposition leader’s media strategy against him. The records show that Albanese faces the media far more than Dutton.

“He doesn’t like questions because he doesn’t have any real answers,” Albanese said.

Second, he heightened the contrast between the Labor agenda and the Coalition alternative. He sought to make the election about Medicare, childcare, school funding, student debt, TAFE and skills. These are areas with known Labor policies. Will the Coalition put them at risk?

The Labor scare is based in part on Dutton’s signal about spending cuts in a speech this month that likened government ideas to headache tablets.

“The expensive Panadol policies must stop,” Dutton said. “The necessary economic surgery to stop wasteful spending must start.”

Albanese wants voters to focus on what those Coalition cuts might mean: “Dutton’s economic surgery won’t be done with a scalpel, it will be carried out with an axe.” This attack line is easy when Dutton has revealed so little about his economic plans.

In the third jab, Albanese deployed light mockery to try to cut Dutton down to size. He made fun of Dutton’s regular outrage about Australia Day, for instance. “Just chill out,” he said. Voters clearly back January 26 as the national day, but it is not a make-or-break issue for most households.

Labor is also mocking Dutton’s idea to give up to $20,000 in tax deductions to small businesses for their spending on work lunches. This is a small policy ahead of a big election. Labor has a chance to make this look like largesse for bosses who like a long lunch, while taxpayers foot the bill.

Albanese will have to do much more than this, of course, if he wants to turn his fortunes around when the shift toward Dutton is so pronounced in the polls.

Dutton’s strategy is clearly working. The prime minister’s speech to the National Press Club one year ago did not lift his fortunes much, even though voters liked his overhaul of the stage 3 tax cuts. Why should this year’s speech be any different?

If the next election is decided on who does best at managing the media and delivering a killer line, there is no doubt who wins. Dutton often gets the better of Albanese. But he does this by avoiding scrutiny and playing to friendly media – so the Labor attack on this point is thoroughly deserved.

Albanese became more assertive as the questions continued at the National Press Club on Friday – especially the ones about his legacy, his regrets and claims about his weakness. Stuck in a tight corner, he seemed confident that he can take Dutton down. The election may turn on whether he can keep this up.

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